Mbox Pro User Guide PDF

®
Mbox Pro User Guide

Version 9.0
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contents
Chapter 1. Welcome to Mbox Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Mbox Pro Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
About www.avid.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 2. Mbox Pro Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Mbox Pro Front Panel Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Mbox Pro Back Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3. Installing and Connecting Mbox Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 4. Making Studio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Connecting Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Audio Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Connecting a Microphone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Connecting Instruments to the Mbox Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Connecting Keyboards and Mixers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Connecting Inserts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Connecting Digital I/O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
MIDI Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Word Clock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using a Footswitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Chapter 5. Using the Driver Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
About. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Stereo Mix Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Contents iii
Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 6. Using the Multi Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Using the Multi Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Press and Release Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Press and Hold Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Hold Duration Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Appendix A. Using CoreAudio- and ASIO-Compliant Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Configuring Mbox Pro for Third-Party Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Configuring the Apple Sound Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Appendix B. Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Environmental Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Safety Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
iv Mbox Pro User Guide

chapter 1
Welcome to Mbox Pro
Welcome to the Mbox® Pro FireWire audio and

MIDI interface from Avid®. Mbox Pro Features
Mbox Pro provides your FireWire-equipped The Mbox Pro provides the following:
computer with six channels of analog audio in-
put, six channels of analog audio output, two Audio Inputs and Outputs
channels of S/PDIF digital audio input and out-
Mbox Pro provides up to eight discrete channels
put, MIDI and Word Clock I/O, and two front
of input and up to eight discrete channels of
panel headphone outputs with independent
output, using the following analog and digital
level controls. Mbox Pro provides professional-
I/O:
quality mic preamps and 24-bit/192 kHz analog-
to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. Analog Inputs
Mbox Pro integrates with Pro Tools® software, • Two channels of analog audio input with high
and is compatible with third-party audio and quality microphone preamps (inputs 1–2).
MIDI applications that support the CoreAudio Each input channel 1–2 provides:
(Mac) or ASIO (Windows) standard. • 48v Phantom Power and inserts
• Two XLR/TRS (Mic/DI) combo connectors
on the front panel, and two 1/4-inch TRS
Line connectors with switchable +4/-10 in-
put level on the rear panel
• Mic preamps feature a –20 dB pad and soft-
limit switch separately on each analog in-
put channel
• Mic/DI signal is adjusted by the Gain knob
for each channel
Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox Pro 1

• Two additional channels of analog audio in- MIDI
put with high quality microphone preamps.
• One MIDI In and one MIDI Out port, provid-
Each input channel 3–4 provides:
ing 16 channels of MIDI input and output
• 48v Phantom Power and inserts
• Analog input jacks include two XLR Mic Other Capabilities and Specifications
connectors on the rear panel, and two 1/4-
• Front panel “Multi” button, assignable to a
inch TRS Line connectors with switchable
variety of common Pro Tools functions
+4/-10 input level also on the rear panel
• Mic preamps feature a –20 dB pad and soft- • Low latency direct record monitoring
limit switch separately on each analog in- • On-board tuner
put channel
• Two 1/4-inch (TRS) stereo headphone outputs
• Mic signal is adjusted by the Gain knob for (A and B) with independently adjustable level
each channel and routing controls
• Two channels of analog audio input via RCA • Control room functionality including front
or 1/8-inch connectors (Aux 5/6). Each input panel Dim/Mute, Mono and Speaker/Source
channel provides: switches
• Analog input jacks provide an unbalanced
• Footswitch jack for starting or stopping play-
line input on either RCA connectors or a
back or punching in and out while recording
1/8-inch mini stereo connector (common
for connecting most MP3 players) • Multi-pin port (DB15 connection) that han-
dles Word Clock, MIDI, and S/PDIF via in-
• Inputs are fully functioning inputs to
cluded breakout cable
Pro Tools as well as providing an alternate
monitor source using the Speaker button
Analog Outputs
• Six balanced 1/4-inch TRS analog outputs,
supporting line level outputs, multiple stereo
monitors, or up to 5.1 surround monitoring
• Insert jacks (1–4) for inserting external pro-
cessing devices on input channels
• 24-bit A/D and D/A converters, supporting
sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz,
96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, and 192 kHz
Digital I/O
• Two channels of S/PDIF digital input and out-
put. S/PDIF inputs are available independent
of and in addition to analog inputs 1–6.
S/PDIF outputs are always available in
Pro Tools
2 Mbox Pro User Guide

System Requirements and Conventions Used in This
Compatibility Guide
Mbox Pro can be used with a qualified Windows All of our guides use the following conventions
or Mac computer running Pro Tools software to indicate menu choices and key commands:
8.0.4 or higher.
:
Convention Action
For Pro Tools installation instructions, see
File > Save Choose Save from the
the Pro Tools Installation Guide.
File menu
Mbox Pro can be also be used with a qualified Control+N Hold down the Control key
Mac or Windows computer running any other and press the N key
Core Audio- or ASIO-compliant software.
Control-click Hold down the Control key
Mbox Pro hardware drivers must be installed be- and click the mouse button
fore you can connect and use your Mbox Pro. Right-click Click with the right
mouse button
For Mbox hardware drivers installation in-
structions, see Chapter 3, “Installing and The names of Commands, Options, and Settings
Connecting Mbox Pro.” that appear on-screen are in a different font.
A DVD drive is required to use the Drivers In- The following symbols are used to highlight
staller disc (included with your Pro Tools soft- important information:
ware package).
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
Avid can only assure compatibility and provide most from your system.
support for hardware and software it has tested
and approved.
Important Notices include information that
For complete system requirements and a list of could affect your data or the performance of
qualified computers, operating systems, hard your system.
drives, and third-party devices, visit:
www.avid.com/compatibility
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in

this guide and other Pro Tools guides.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox Pro 3

About www.avid.com
The Avid website (www.avid.com) is your best
online source for information to help you get
the most out of your Pro Tools system. The fol-
lowing are just a few of the services and features
available.
Product Registration Register your purchase

online.
Support and Downloads Contact Avid Customer

Success (technical support); download software
updates and the latest online manuals; browse
the Compatibility documents for system re-
quirements; search the online Knowledge Base
or join the worldwide Pro Tools community on
the User Conference.
Training and Education Study on your own using

courses available online or find out how you can
learn in a classroom setting at a certified
Pro Tools training center.
Products and Developers Learn about Avid

products; download demo software or learn
about our Development Partners and their
plug-ins, applications, and hardware.
News and Events Get the latest news from Avid

or sign up for a Pro Tools demo.

chapter 2
Mbox Pro Hardware Overview
Mbox Pro Front Panel Features

Figure 1 identifies controls, indicators, and input and output ports on the front panel on the
Mbox Pro.
Headphones A and B Volume knob

Input combo jacks Dim/Mute
Gain/–20 dB Pad switches switch
Gain/–20 dB Multi button Power indicator LED
Pad switch
Soft Master Volume

Soft limit knob
48V switch Mono
limit switches switch
switch
Speaker source
LED ladders Headphone select button
(inputs 1 - 4) outputs
Front/Back Front/Back
input source input source Mic/Line
switch switch input source button
Figure 1. Mbox Pro front panel
Chapter 2: Mbox Pro Hardware Overview 5

Input Combo Jacks (Mic/DI) LED Ladders (Inputs 1–4)
These combination jacks (Mic/DI) provide XLR These four, eight-segment LED ladder-style me-
and 1/4-inch (TS) inputs for Input channels 1 ters illuminate green in the presence of audio
and 2. signal, and illuminate red when the signal is
about to clip (overload) the input. The LEDs are
associated with signals routed from inputs 1–4.
Gain/–20 dB Pad Switches
These knobs adjust the input gain levels of
48V Switch and LED (Phantom
Mic/DI 1 and 2, or Mic 3 and 4. Turn the knob
Power)
clockwise to increase gain, and counter-clock-
wise to decrease gain. The 48V switch toggles phantom power on/off
for all mic input channels. The LED, when lit,
If your input signal is too hot even with the
indicates that 48V phantom power is active on
Gain knob at a low setting, pull the Gain knob
the XLR Mic inputs.
out to engage a “pad” that attenuates the signal
by –20dB.
About Phantom Power
Most condenser microphones (such as an
Front/Rear Input Source Switches
M-Audio Solaris) require phantom power to op-
These buttons select the input source for input erate. Dynamic microphones (such as a Shure
channels 1 and 2. When “out”, the front panel SM57) do not require phantom power to oper-
Mic/DI input is active; when “in” the back panel ate, but are not harmed by it.
Line Input is active for that channel.
Although phantom power can be used
safely with most microphones, it is possible
Soft Limit Switch to damage some ribbon microphones with
These switches engage a soft limiter on that it. Always turn off phantom power and wait
channel, applying a smooth, overdriven tape- at least ten seconds before connecting or dis-
type limiter to strong input signals. connecting a ribbon microphone.
Mic/Line Input Source Button When using phantom power, Mbox Pro’s
maximum current per microphone is 10 mA.
These buttons select the input source for input
channels 3 and 4. When “out”, the back panel If you are not sure about the phantom power re-
Mic input is active; when “in” the back panel quirements for your microphone, consult your
Line Input is active for that channel. microphone’s documentation or contact the
manufacturer.

Master Volume Knob When pressed and held, it sources Aux inputs
5–6, letting you can switch between monitoring
The Master Volume knob adjusts the output playback from your audio application and mon-
level of the assigned Monitor output pair. The itoring an external source (such a CD player)
Master Volume knob is assigned to an output connected to Aux inputs 5–6.
pair (1–2, 3–4, or 5–6) in the Control Panel. See
“Master Vol.” on page 32.
Headphone Outputs
Dim/Mute Switch Use the A and B, front panel Headphone outputs
to connect stereo headphones with a 1/4-inch
The Dim/Mute switch affects the output volume stereo connector. Headphone output A mirrors
for control room outputs as assigned in the Monitor outputs 1–2 by default. Sources for the
Driver Control Panel setup (by default, Line out- Headphone outputs can be configured in the
puts 1 and 2.) See “Control Room Assignment” Control Panel. See “Stereo Mix Section” on
on page 32. page 34.
The switch has two functions:
 When pushed, Line outputs 1 and 2 (or the

Headphone A and B Volume Knobs
currently assigned Control Room outputs) are The Headphone knobs adjust the output level of
dimmed. When Dim is engaged, the switch LED their corresponding Headphone output (A or B).
lights solid.
 When pushed and held in, Line outputs 1 and Multi Button
2 (or the currently assigned Control Room out-
puts) are muted. When Mute is engaged, the The Multi button can be assigned to execute sev-
switch LED flashes. eral functions in Pro Tools, including
Track Create, Start/stop Record, Tap Tempo,
Toggle Marker Locations, and Save Session. For
Mono Switch detailed information, see Chapter 6, “Using the
The Mono Button sums the control room out- Multi Button.”
puts to a mono signal (delivering that identical
signal to both speakers) via the Driver Control Power Indicator LED
Panel or the Mbox Pro. When engaged, the
Mono LED lights. The Power LED indicates that the Mbox Pro is
receiving power from its power supply. Once the
light is on, audio can pass in or out of the sys-
Spkr (Speaker) Button tem. If the light is flashing, the power is not cor-
You can assign Monitor outputs pairs to the rect or clock is not locked.
Speaker button and cycle through the pairs as
configured in the Control Panel (see Chapter 5,
“Using the Driver Control Panel” and “Control
Room Assignment” on page 32). This is useful
for A/B-ing your mix between different studio
monitors.

Mbox Pro Back Panel Features
Figure 2 identifies each port on the back panel of the Mbox Pro.
Aux inputs 5/6

(RCAs and 1/8-inch mini)
Power input jack Insert jacks Mic inputs
Monitor outputs Line inputs
Power switch
Foot switch FireWire ports
Word clock, MIDI

+4/–10 switches
S/PDIF connector
Figure 2. Mbox Pro back panel
Mic Inputs Monitor Outputs

These two jacks provide XLR inputs for Input There are six balanced 1/4-inch TRS analog
channels 3 and 4. The Mic signal is adjusted by outputs that support line level outputs,
the each channel’s Gain knob on the front multiple stereo monitors, or up to 5.1 surround
panel. monitoring. For more information on
configuring stereo and surround monitoring in
the Driver Control Panel, see “Output Setup”
Insert Jacks on page 31.
Use these 1/4-inch TRS jacks to patch (or “in-
sert”) an external analog effect such as a com- Line Inputs
pressor or limiter onto the input signal, between
the preamp and the A/D converter. Any inserted There are four TRS balanced analog Line inputs
effects affect the recorded signal. on the back panel for Input channels 1–4. For
input channels 1–2, Line inputs are selected us-
These inserts are only active when a connector is ing the 01 and 02 Front/Rear switch on the front
inserted, and are otherwise bypassed. The TRS panel (set to “Rear”). For inputs 3–4, Line inputs
jack is configured as follows: Tip=Send; are selected using the 03 and 04 Mic/Line
Ring=Return; Sleeve=Ground. switches on the front panel (set to “Line”). Mic
inputs are selected using the 03 and 04 Mic/Line
(set to “Mic”).

+4/–10 Switches Power Switch
These switches let you select +4 or –10 input op- This button is used to turn Mbox Pro on or off.
erating levels for Line Input channels 1–2
and/or 3–4. When “out” the level is set to +4 and
when “in” it is set to –10.
Word Clock, MIDI, S/PDIF
Connector
If the device you are connecting to any of
The DB15 connection that handles Word Clock,
these inputs has unbalanced outputs (or
MIDI, and S/PDIF is a multi-pin port where you
you are using an unbalanced TS cable), set
plug in a breakout cable (included). On the op-
the line input switch to -10. For balanced
posite end of the cable you can connect to Word
outputs (using balanced TRS cables), set the
Clock, MIDI, and S/PDIF devices.
switch to +4. Refer to your device’s docu-
mentation.
Aux Inputs 5–6

The RCA jacks and the 1/8-inch mini are all part
of Aux input 5/6.
 Use the RCA jacks for line-level devices like
CD players or mixers.
 Use the 1/8-inch mini to connect line-level Breakout cable
sources such as MP3 players with an 1/8-inch
stereo connector. Foot Switch Connector
The footswitch connector on Mbox Pro lets you
FireWire Ports use a footswitch to control either playback
These standard FireWire 1394 connectors are start/stop or recording punch in/out. Both
used to connect your computer to Mbox Pro. QuickPunch audio punch-in and punch-out
The Mbox Pro cannot be powered solely and MIDI punch-in and punch-out recording
through its 1394 connection to your computer. are supported.
The Mbox Pro requires the power supply to
The footswitch connector is designed specifi-
function.
cally for instantaneous (momentary) on/off
pedals with a 1/4-inch TS connector. Continu-
Power Input Jack ous on/continuous off pedals can also be used,
but may result in unexpected behavior.
This port supplies power to Mbox Pro using the
included power supply. The Mbox Pro requires
the power supply to function. For stand-alone
mode you power on the unit with a power con-
nection and no FireWire connection.

chapter 3
Installing and Connecting Mbox Pro
To use Mbox Pro with Pro Tools or any other • Download the Mbox Pro drivers installer
CoreAudio- or ASIO-compatible applications, for your computer platform from
you must install the Mbox Pro hardware drivers www.avid.com. After downloading, make
on your computer. sure the installer is uncompressed (.dmg on
Mac or .ZIP on Windows).
This chapter provides instructions on installing
the drivers on Mac and Windows, and connect- 3 Do one of the following:
ing the Mbox Pro to your computer. • On Mac, locate and double-click
Avid Mbox Pro.mpkg.
Do not start this procedure with your Mbox
– or –
connected to your computer.
• On Windows, locate and double-click
Install Avid Mbox Pro.exe.
Before installing the hardware drivers, refer
to the Read Me information included with 4 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed
the drivers installer for your device. with installation.
5 When installation is complete, restart your

To install the drivers and connect the Mbox Pro:
computer.
1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-
6 After the computer has restarted, connect one
tor for the account where you want to install the
end of the provided FireWire cable to the
drivers.
FireWire port on Mbox Pro. Connect the other
For details on Administrator privileges, see end of the cable to any available FireWire port
the documentation for your computer. on your computer. Connect the power cable and
turn on the Mbox Pro using the power switch
2 Do one of the following: on the back. Then follow the remaining on-
• Insert the Drivers Installer disc that came screen instructions to complete installation.
with your Pro Tools software package into
your computer. You can now use your Mbox Pro with Pro Tools,
or with any other CoreAudio- or ASIO-compati-
– or – ble application.
For Pro Tools installation instructions, see

the Pro Tools Installation Guide.
Chapter 3: Installing and Connecting Mbox Pro 11

chapter 4
Making Studio Connections
This chapter provides step-by-step instructions To connect headphones:

for connecting mics, instruments, mixers, head-
1 Connect headphones with a 1/4-inch stereo
phones, speakers, and other devices to
connector (or adapter) to the Headphone out-
Mbox Pro.
puts A or B.
2 Adjust the volume using the corresponding

Headphone Volume knob on the front panel.
Connecting Outputs
By default, Headphone output A mirrors Moni-
To hear audio from Mbox Pro, you will need to
tor output channels 1–2.
connect headphones or an external sound sys-
tem (such as powered monitors or a home ste- You can create independent stereo mixes for
reo) to Mbox Pro. each headphone output in the Driver Control
Panel. See “Stereo Mix Section” on page 34.
Connecting Headphones
You can use headphones equipped with a 1/4-
Do not use the front panel headphone out-
inch stereo jack to monitor your audio.
puts for anything but headphones. If you
use a headphone distribution amp or cue
system, use any of the six Monitor outputs
Headphone level (A, B) on the back panel. See “Monitor Outputs
1–6” on page 14.
1/4-inch
Headphone outputs (A, B)
Headphone jacks and controls on front of Mbox Pro
Chapter 4: Making Studio Connections 13

Connecting a Sound System To connect to a stereo system:
 When connecting to a stereo system, connect
The default monitor outputs on the back of the
Mbox Pro (Monitor outputs 1 and 2) support the left channel of the stereo (often the white
1/4-inch plugs. These connections can be bal- plug) to Monitor output 1, and the right chan-
anced TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) connectors, or un- nel of the stereo (often the red plug) to
balanced TS (Tip-Sleeve) connectors such as Monitor output 2.
those on instrument cables. To listen to your to
Home stereo systems often use RCA connec-
audio, connect these outputs to any amplifica-
tors. You can use an adaptor or a special ca-
tion system: powered speakers, a home stereo
ble to convert from the 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-
system, or an audio mixer.
Ring-Sleeve) connectors used by Mbox Pro to
the RCA connectors on your home stereo.
Monitor outputs 1–6
Monitor Outputs 1–6
Monitor outputs 1–6 can be connected to any

device that has analog inputs. Use these six bal-
anced 1/4-inch TRS outputs to feed analog de-
vices such as headphone amps or cue systems
for discrete headphone mixes, samplers, or a sec-
ondary recorder.
Line Out connectors for monitors on Mbox Pro There are other use for Monitor outputs, such as:
• Stereo main monitors (Monitor outputs 1–2)
To connect to a sound system:
• Stereo/Alt monitors (Monitor outputs 3–4)
 For stereo monitoring, connect Monitor out-
puts 1 and 2 to the inputs of your main left and • Surround (Monitor outputs 1–6),
right speakers. You can hook up more than one
set of stereo speakers and switch between them To connect additional Mbox Pro outputs:
(Speaker A, B, C switching). See “Output Setup”  Using 1/4-inch TRS cables, connect any of the
on page 31. Line Out (1–6) connectors on the back panel to
the inputs of your external devices.
Mbox Pro is capable of 5.1 surround moni-
toring complete with custom configuration See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for infor-
and routing controls. For more information, mation on signal routing, sends and bussing.
see “Output Setup” on page 31.
14 Mbox Pro Setup Guide

Mic Inputs 3–4/Line Inputs 3–4
Audio Inputs
The back-panel Mic inputs 3–4 provide two ded-
Mbox Pro provides six channels of analog in- icated XLR connectors for Input channels 3 and
puts, and supports microphones, guitars, key- 4.
boards, and other types of instruments and de-
vices. Toggle each channel’s Front/Rear input source
switch to switch between the XLR input and
For information about connecting specific au- 1/4-inch TRS Line Input located on the back
dio sources, see “Connecting a Microphone” on panel.
page 16, and “Connecting Instruments to the
Mbox Pro” on page 19. When the switch is in the “out” position, the
Mic input is active; when “in” the Line Input is
01, 02, 03, 04 active for that channel.
Aux Inputs 5–6

The Aux inputs 5–6 section provide dual-mono
RCA jacks or a single 1/8-inch stereo jack for
Aux input channels 5 and 6.
If the 1/8-inch jack and the RCA jacks are both

connected, the 1/8-inch jack takes precedence
Aux inputs 5/6 over the RCA jacks.
(and 1/8-inch)
Use these inputs to connect line-level sources
Input channels on the front/back of Mbox Pro
such as mixers, CD or DVD players, or MP3 play-
Mic/DI Inputs 1–2/Line Inputs 1–2 ers.
The front-panel Mic/DI inputs 1–2 provide com- You can monitor Aux input 5–6 through the
bination XLR (Mic) or a 1/4-inch (DI) jacks for designated control room output by pressing
Input channels 1 and 2. and holding the front-panel Spkr button. To
configure control room settings, see “Control
Toggle each channel’s Front/Rear input source
Room Assignment” on page 32.
switch to switch between the front-panel
Mic/DI input and the 1/4-inch TRS Line Input
located on the back panel.
When the switch is in the “out” position, the

front panel Mic/DI input is active; when “in”
the rear Line Input is active.

Phantom Power (48V)
Connecting a Microphone
Some microphones require power to operate.
This power, called phantom power, is supplied ei-
Mic Cables and Connectors ther by a battery in the microphone, or through
Use a microphone with an XLR connector to an audio interface (such as Mbox Pro) that can
connect the microphone to the Mbox Pro. supply power through the microphone cable.
The Mbox Pro can only supply phantom power Most condenser microphones (such as an
through a microphone cable with an XLR con- M-Audio Solaris) require phantom power to op-
nector. If you are not sure about the phantom erate. Dynamic microphones (such as a Shure
power requirements for your microphone, refer SM57) do not require phantom power to oper-
to your microphone’s documentation or con- ate, but are not harmed by it.
tact the manufacturer.
Phantom power can be used safely with
most microphones. However, it is possible
to damage ribbon microphones with it. Al-
ways turn off phantom power and wait at
least ten seconds before connecting a ribbon
microphone.
The Mbox Pro can only supply phantom power

through a microphone cable with XLR connec-
XLR connector tors. If you are not sure about the phantom
power requirements for your microphone, refer
to your microphone’s documentation or con-
tact the manufacturer.

Using a Mic with an XLR Connector
(Input Channels 1–2)
To use a microphone with an XLR connector:

1 Plug your microphone cable into one of the
two Mic/DI inputs on the front of Mbox Pro (in
48V (Phantom Power)
this example, input 2).
Phantom Power switch
Input 1
Mic input 4 On the front of the Mbox Pro, turn the master
volume knob to the desired level.
Gain knob Master volume knob
Mic/DI input 2
XLR connector plugged into Input 2 (Mic/DI combo jack)
2 Set the input source to Mic/DI (microphone) Gain knob for Input 1 (Master volume knob shown)
by pressing the Front/Rear switch for channel 2 5 On the front of the Mbox Pro, carefully turn
to the “out” position. (When the button is set to the Gain knob to the right to increase the input
the “out” position, the front panel, combo level of your microphone signal.
Mic/DI inputs will be active. When the button is
set to the “in” position, the back panel Line in- 6 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the
puts will be active.) Push/Pull knob to engage the –20 dB pad.
–20 dB Pad
Front/Rear switches
Input 2 Pad
Front/Rear switches for Mic/DI combo jacks
3 If your microphone requires phantom power,

make sure the microphone is connected, then
press the Phantom Power switch (labeled 48V)
on the front of the Mbox Pro. This switch sends
48V to all four mic inputs. The 48V LED on the
front of the Mbox Pro lights when phantom
power is engaged.

Using a Mic with an XLR Connector
(Input Channels 3–4)
To use a microphone with an XLR connector:

1 Plug your microphone cable into one of the
two Mic inputs (XLR) on the back of Mbox Pro
(In this example, Input 3). 48V (Phantom Power)
Phantom Power switch
4 On the front of the Mbox Pro, turn the master

Gain knob Master volume knob
Mic input 3
XLR connector plugged into Mic Input 3 (XLR jack)
2 There are two Mic inputs (XLR) on the back

Gain knob for Input 3 (Master volume knob shown)
panel, (Input 3 and 4). On the front panel, set
the Mic/Line input switch for channel 3 to the 5 On the front of the Mbox Pro, carefully turn
“out” position (microphone). the Gain knob to the right to increase the input
level of your microphone signal.
Use the corresponding back panel inputs
6 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the
(marked Line Input 3 and Line Input 4) on
the back when working with line-level sig- Push/Pull knob to the “out” position to engage
nals. In that case, set the Mic/Line input the –20 dB pad.
switch for channel 3 to the “in” position
(line).
–20 dB Pad
Input 3 Pad
Mic/Line switches
Mic/Line switches for Mic/DI combo jacks
3 If your microphone requires phantom power,

make sure the microphone is connected, then
press the Phantom Power switch (labeled 48V)
on the front of the Mbox Pro. This switch sends
48V to all four inputs. The 48V LED on the front
of the Mbox Pro will light when phantom
power is being supplied.

Connecting Electric Guitar or Bass
Connecting Instruments to
the Mbox Pro To use a guitar with Mbox Pro:
Mbox Pro provides three input types (DI, Line, 1 On the front of the Mbox Pro, plug your guitar
and Aux In) for instruments. or bass cable into one of the Mic/DI inputs.
DI Input (Front Panel) Use the front-panel DI

(“Direct Inject”) inputs for instruments such as
electric guitar, electric bass, or other instru-
ments that use pickups.
Line Inputs (Back Panel) Use the back-panel 1/4-

inch Line inputs for line-level devices, including
electronic audio sources such as mixers, sam-
plers, keyboards, and synthesizers.
Connecting guitar to the Mic/DI 1 connector
Aux 5/6 (Back Panel) Use the back-panel RCA
jacks or the 1/8-inch stereo jack for line-level de- 2 On the front of the Mbox Pro, make sure the
vices such as a CD players or MP3 players. Front/Rear switch for Mic/DI 1 is in the “out”
position.

4 On the front of the Mbox Pro, carefully turn

the Gain control knob to the right to increase
the input level of your guitar.
You can tune your guitar using the on-board

tuner from the front panel of the Mbox Pro.
Hold down the Mono and Dim buttons to
launch the tuner in the Driver Control Panel.
See “Setup” on page 26.

To use Aux Input 5/6 Line inputs:
Connecting Keyboards and  Plug your keyboard, mixer or other line level
Mixers device into the Aux Input 5/6 inputs (L and R).
To use a keyboard or mixer with Mbox Pro:

Connecting DJ Equipment
1 Plug your keyboard (with line outputs), mixer,
or other audio source into any one of the four To use the Aux Inputs 5/6:
Line Input channels on the back of the
 Plug your DJ mixer, DVD player, or similar
Mbox Pro. If your source is stereo (such as a ste-
outputs into the Aux Input 5/6 inputs (L and R).
reo keyboard or the stereo output from a mixer),
connect the left channel (often the white plug) There is no RIAA preamp or grounding post
to Input 1, and right channel (often the red on the Mbox Pro, so connect a turntable to a
plug) to Input 2. mixer or phono preamp before connecting to
Mbox Pro.
If your keyboard has unbalanced outputs,
set the line input switch to -10 instead of
+4. Refer to your keyboard’s documenta- For Aux inputs 5/6, the 1/8-inch jack takes
tion. precedence over the RCA jacks.
2 On the front of the Mbox Pro, set the

Front/Rear switch to Rear or Mic/Line switch to
Line (that corresponds to your channel).

4 Set your instrument’s volume to its optimal

level. For example, the optimal level for most
keyboards is between 80% and 100% of maxi-
mum volume.
5 On the rear panel of the Mbox Pro, use the In-

put Level switch for +4/–10 input line level set-
tings (one for each stereo pair, 1/2 & 3/4). In the
“out” position the level is set to +4; and when
pushed to the “in” position, it is set to (–10).

Connecting Inserts Connecting Digital I/O
Mbox Pro provides a total of four insert jacks Mbox Pro provides digital inputs and outputs
(Inserts 1–4) for inserting external processing for S/PDIF-format digital audio. S/PDIF digital
devices such as an EQ or a compressor between I/O can be used in combination with analog I/O,
the input channel’s onboard mic preamp and and are independently routable.
the onboard analog to digital convertor.
Inserts 1–4
Multi-pin port for breakout cable input
Word Clock, MIDI, and S/PDIF input on Mbox Pro

Insert jacks for external processing on Mbox Pro
Connecting Digital Devices
To insert an external processor on an input:
To connect Mbox Pro to an external digital device:
1 Using a 1/4-inch insert cable (single TRS con-
nector to dual TS connectors), connect the sin- 1 Using the included breakout cable, connect it
gle TRS connector (the connector with two to the Word Clock, MIDI, and S/PDIF input on
rings) to one of the insert jacks on your the back panel of the Mbox Pro.
Mbox Pro.
2 Using RCA (coaxial) cables, connect the
2 Connect the dual TS connectors (the “Y” end Mbox Pro S/PDIF In to the S/PDIF output of the
of the cable) to the external processor as follows: device.
• Connect the TS connector that corre-
Use 75 ohm RCA cables (the standard for
sponds to the tip (send) on the TRS connec-
digital audio) as other cables (such as home
tor to the input of the processor.
stereo cables) may have problems.
– and –
• Connect the other TS connector that corre- 3 Connect the Mbox Pro S/PDIF Out to the
sponds to the ring (return) on the TRS con- S/PDIF input of the external device.
nector to the output of the processor. 4 Be sure to read the next section for important
information.
Dual TS
connector
Single TRS
connector
Insert cable

Using S/PDIF Input To enable S/PDIF when using a third-party
application:
If you are using Pro Tools, use the Hardware
1 Do one of the following:
Setup dialog in Pro Tools.
• On Mac, launch System Preferences (Apple
If you are using the S/PDIF input on Mbox with menu > System Preferences), then double-
a third-party CoreAudio-or ASIO-compliant ap- click Avid Mbox. (You can also open the
plication, use the Mbox Control Panel to config- Driver Control Panel from the Applications
ure the input. See “General Setup” on page 26. menu.)
Mbox Pro supports external sync at sample – or –

rates of up to 192 kHz. • On Windows, choose Start > Control Panel >
Mbox.
S/PDIF inputs on Mbox Pro can sync to an 2 In the Control Panel, choose Setup.
external Word clock. See “Word Clock” on 3 Select S/PDIF from the Clock Source pop-up
page 23 for configuration information. menu.
To enable S/PDIF when using Pro Tools:
1 Make sure your have connected the external
digital device to the correct Mbox Pro S/PDIF
connector (In and Out).
2 Make sure the external device is powered on,

that it is set to the correct sample rate, and that
it is configured to provide S/PDIF clock (if rele-
vant to your device).
3 Launch Pro Tools.
4 Choose Hardware > Setup.
5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and

choose “S/PDIF.”
Once enabled in the Hardware Setup dialog, the

S/PDIF inputs become active and will pass audio
to Mbox Pro.

MIDI Connections Word Clock
Two MIDI ports become available when you Mbox Pro provides Word Clock In and Out con-
connect the provided breakout cable into the nectors on the back panel that let you synchro-
Word Clock, MIDI, and S/PDIF input on the nize, or “clock” Mbox Pro to industry standard
back panel of the Mbox Pro. See “Word Clock, Word clock. Word clock is used to synchronize a
MIDI, S/PDIF Connector” on page 9. wide range of devices such as non-linear video
systems and other types of equipment typically
If you need additional MIDI ports you can add a found in professional audio facilities.
compatible MIDI interface. USB MIDI interfaces
work effectively with Pro Tools systems on Win- With both Word clock input and output, your
dows or Mac. Mbox Pro-equipped system can act as Word
clock “slave” or “master.”
To connect MIDI devices to Mbox Pro:
Do not confuse Word clock and other forms
1 Using the included breakout cable, connect it
of “clock reference” with time code and
to the Word Clock, MIDI, and S/PDIF input on other forms of “positional reference.” For an
the back panel of the Mbox Pro. overview of synchronization terminology
2 Connect the MIDI OUT of your MIDI device and concepts, see the Pro Tools Reference
or controller to the MIDI IN port on the break- guide.
out cable.
Mbox Pro can synchronize to Word clock at
3 Connect the MIDI IN of your MIDI device or
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz,
controller to the MIDI OUT port on the break-
176.4 kHz, and 192 kHz sample rates.
out cable.
To connect Word clock to Mbox Pro:
On Mac OS X, use the Audio Midi Setup
(AMS) utility to customize the names of your  Using high-quality, 75 ohm BNC cables (not
MIDI devices. included) connect the Mbox Pro Word Clock In

and Out connectors to the appropriate ports on
the other Word clock-capable devices in your
studio.
Using Word Clock with Pro Tools

Pro Tools with Mbox Pro can act as Word clock
master, or as a slave to Word clock supplied by
an external device.
When using third-party applications, you

can configure the Clock Source for Mbox Pro
using the Control Panel. See “Clock Source”
on page 27.

Pro Tools as Word Clock Master 4 Choose Hardware > Setup.
Mbox Pro Word clock output is always active, 5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and
letting Pro Tools supply Word clock to any con- choose Word Clock.
nected devices that support standard Word
clock.
Using a Footswitch
To use Pro Tools as Word clock master:
The footswitch connector on Mbox Pro lets you
1 Make sure all connections are correct between
use a footswitch pedal to control either playback
Mbox Pro and your external devices.
start/stop or recording punch in/out. Both
2 Configure all external devices to slave to the QuickPunch audio punch-in and punch-out
Word clock coming from Mbox Pro. (Be sure to and MIDI punch-in and punch-out recording
verify sample rate settings, termination require- are supported.
ments and other internal settings for the device;
refer to the manufacturer’s documentation if The footswitch connector is designed specifi-
you need more information on the particular re- cally for instantaneous (momentary) on/off
quirements for your other equipment.) pedals with a 1/4-inch TS connector. Continu-
ous on/continuous off pedals can also be used,
3 Launch Pro Tools. but may result in unexpected behavior.
4 Choose Hardware > Setup.
To use a footswitch control:
5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and
1 Connect a footswitch to the footswitch con-
choose Internal.
nector on the back panel of the Mbox Pro.
Pro Tools as Word Clock Slave 2 Launch Pro Tools.
In order to slave Pro Tools to an external Word 3 Choose Setup > Hardware.
clock source, you must configure Word clock as 4 Select Record Punch In/Out or Playback
the Pro Tools Clock source. Start/Stop.
To configure Pro Tools with Mbox Pro as a Word 5 Click OK.

clock slave:
1 Make sure all Word clock and audio connec-
tions are correct as described earlier in this sec-
tion.
2 Make sure the external Word clock source is

powered on, and configured to output 1x Word
clock. (Be sure to verify any required termina-
tion; refer to the manufacturer’s documentation
if you need more information on the particular
requirements for your device.)
3 Launch Pro Tools.

chapter 5
Using the Driver Control Panel
The Mbox Pro Driver Control Panel lets you To open the Driver Control Panel:
configure settings for your audio interface for
 On Mac, launch System Preferences
use with Pro Tools, as well as for other audio ap-
(Apple menu > System Preferences), then double-
plications that support the CoreAudio (Mac) or
click Avid Mbox Pro.
ASIO (Windows) standard.
– or –
Several features of Mbox Pro can be accessed di-
On Windows, choose Start > Control Panel >
rectly from the Mbox Pro front panel, such as in-
Mbox Pro.
put gain, phantom power, and output levels.
But there are many additional parameters that
To open the Driver Control Panel from Pro Tools:
cannot be accessed from the front panel. These
additional features are available to you using the 1 Choose Setup > Hardware in the Edit window.
included Driver Control Panel application.
2 Click launch control panel.
Mbox Pro Driver Control Panel
Chapter 5: Using the Driver Control Panel 25

General Setup
Setup
General Setup options are grouped in the fol-
Click Setup to access the General Setup and Out- lowing categories:
put Setup dialogs. You can toggle between dia-
• Hardware Settings
logs by clicking General Setup or Output Setup.
• Soft Button Settings
Configure Mbox Pro hardware settings in Gen- • High-Pass Filter Options
eral Setup. For example, you can set buffer size, • Standalone Settings
sample rate, and clock source. You can also de-
fine how Mbox Pro functions when it’s con-
nected to a computer or when it’s in standalone
mode (not connected to a computer).
Configure your monitoring and output settings

in Output Setup. For example, you can config-
ure up to three stereo hardware output pairs to
function as control room outputs, which are
then selectable using Mbox Pro’s Speaker button
(front panel). You can also configure the Master
Volume knob to function as the master volume
control for all six outputs simultaneously, pro-
viding a 5.1 surround monitor master volume
control.
Setup pop-up menu, General Setup mode shown
26 Mbox User Guide

Hardware Settings Sample Rate
This section of the Control Panel provides con- This drop-down menu sets the sample rate of
trols for setting parameters on your interface Mbox Pro. Note that when using the interface
when it is connected to a computer using a with an ASIO or CoreAudio application, the
FireWire cable (called Hosted Mode). sample rate can also be determined by your au-
dio application. This parameter may not be ed-
Disable Host Control itable from within the Mbox Pro Control Panel
if your audio application is running. In this case,
This setting lets you wrest control of the Driver
any changes to the sample rate must be made
Control Panel from Pro Tools. When you launch
through the audio application itself. If the appli-
Pro Tools, it takes control of the Driver Control
cation does not provide a way to set the sample
Panel's first stereo mixer. If you want to obtain
rate, quit the application, then change the sam-
full manual control of the Driver Control Panel,
ple rate through the Mbox Pro Control Panel.
choose this option.
When the sample rate is locked to an external
If you want to use the Low Latency Monitor- digital clock source, the Mbox Pro’s LED is solid
ing option in Pro Tools, this option must not blue. When the sample rate is set and there is no
be checked. digital clock source detected (or cannot lock to it
for some reason), the LED will blink. (A message
Clock Source
appears at the bottom of the Hardware Settings
This setting determines the clock source to section stating that: “External clock not de-
which Mbox Pro is synchronized. tected, Audio Streaming is Disabled.”).
Internal If you are using Mbox Pro by itself (for

example, without other digital devices or an ex-
ternal clock), select the Internal option for the in-
terface to work properly
S/PDIF If you have connected a S/PDIF device to

your Mbox Pro and would like to use that device
as the master clock source, select the S/PDIF op-
tion. This will make Mbox Pro clock to the exter-
nal device’s clock.
Word Clock If you are transferring material into

Pro Tools from an external digital device, or if
you utilize a common house clock signal, you
will need to synchronize Pro Tools to that digital
device or common signal. Select the Word Clock
option.

Buffer Size (Windows only) Soft Button Settings
This menu sets the size of the input and output
Press and Hold Duration
buffers on Mbox Pro.
This pop-up menu gives you four choices of
Buffers are used to help keep audio hardware Press and Hold duration for all soft buttons on
and software running smoothly by processing the front of the Mbox Pro. Choose between 250
audio in groups of samples rather than one sam- msec, 500 msec, 750 msec, and 1 sec.
ple at a time. Due to variations between com-
puter hardware and software, it is impossible to Use Dim LEDs for Button off State
recommend a single optimum setting for all sys-
tems. It may be necessary to experiment with Checking this option gives you a dim LED for all
various settings until you find the best buffer the soft buttons that are off (so you can still dis-
size for your system. cern the LED in the dark).
The goal of setting a buffer size is to reduce it as High-Pass Filter Enable

much as possible without hearing any clicks,
pops, or other glitches. If the buffer size is too A 75 Hz high-pass filter is available for each In-
small, the computer will not be able to make all put channel 1–4. Enable the high-pass filter for
the required audio calculations on time and you the desired channel to reduce low-frequency
will hear pops, clicks, and stuttering in your au- rumble caused by, for example, HVAC systems
dio streams. On the other hand, if the buffer size or microphone handling.
is set too high, your computer will process audio
without incident, but your software will feel Driver Control Panel Options
sluggish and unresponsive.
Hold Clipping Indicators until Clicked
To find your system’s optimum buffer size set-
ting, begin with a high setting and gradually re- The top section of the meters (or right section
duce the size until you begin to hear clicks, for horizontal meters) of the Driver Control
pops, or other audible glitches in your audio. Panel feature a red clipping indicator. When this
Then, raise the buffer size setting until these option is selected, the clipping indicators will re-
glitches disappear. You may need to stop play- main lit until they are clicked.
ing audio any time you change this setting and
certain applications will require you to re- Load Latency and Clock Settings from Settings
Files
launch the program before the new buffer size
settings become active. When this option is selected, the clock source
and buffer settings are recalled when loading a
This menu only appears on Windows sys-
setting file.
tems. Most Mac OS X applications allow to
change the buffer size from within the au- Post-Fader Meters
dio application itself. Please see your audio
application’s user guide to learn how to When this option is selected, fader positions will
change this setting. affect the meters. Post-Fader Meters mean the
meter indicate post-fader levels.
28 Mbox User Guide

Pre-Fader Meters Standalone Settings
When this option is selected, the meters display Standalone settings affect the setting of the
the level of a signal before it passes the fader. Mbox Pro when it's in standalone mode with no
This allows signal levels to be displayed regard- host computer connected.
less of the fader positions within the stereo mix
(in other words, a fader can be all the way down When you set up your standalone settings,
and no sound will be heard from the mixer’s you must be connected to the computer.
output, but you can still see if there is any activ-
The interface can function in the following two
ity on that input).
modes:
FX Sends Mode Hosted Operation If there is a FireWire connec-

tion to the computer when the Mbox Pro is first
Pre-Fader FX Sends powered on, then it boots into hosted mode.
When Pre-Fader FX Sends is selected, the full au- Standalone Operation If there is no FireWire con-
dio signal will be sent to the FX Sends, regardless nection to the computer when the Mbox Pro is
of the position of the Channel Faders of stereo first powered on, then it boots into standalone
mix 1–2. mode.
Post-Fader (Mix 1/2) FX Sends When you are in standalone mode, the follow-
ing functions can be adjusted:
When Post-Fader (Mix 1/2) is selected, the audio
• Clock source
signal level being sent to the FX Sends will be af-
fected by the position of the Channel Faders of • Sample rate
Stereo Mix 1. • Mode

Clock Source Sample Rate
Clock source and sample rate settings work in This setting assigns the sample rate when it's set
the same manner as above, it defines what the to internal clock source in standalone mode.
clock source will be; internal, S/PDIF, or word
clock. Mode
The clock source can be switched from the front The Mbox Pro can be in the following three
panel when in standalone, using the Multi but- types of sub-standalone modes:
ton.
AD/DA Converter When in AD/DA mode, analog
The LED button will either be off/on/pulsing to inputs 1 and 2 are routed to S/PDIF outputs left
indicate which clock source is currently as- and right and S/PDIF inputs left and right are
signed. routed to analog outputs 1 and 2.
• If the LED if off, the clock source is internal. Preamp When in Preamp mode, analog input 1
• If the LED is on, the clock source is word is sent to analog output 1 and S/PDIF left. Ana-
clock log input 2 is sent to analog output 2 and S/PDIF
• If the LED is pulsing, clock source is S/PDIF Right. Analog inputs 3–6 are sent to analog out-
puts 3–6.
Mixer When in Mixer mode, all analog and dig-

ital inputs are summed and routed to analog
outputs 1-2 are mirrored to S/PDIF outputs left
and right.
Changing Sub-standalone Modes
Once you are in standalone mode you can tell

which of the three sub-standalone modes the
Mbox Pro is in and change them using the
Speaker source select switch (pushing the
Speaker button cycles through them all).
The button displays the following colors for

each mode:
• Green in AD/DA Converter Mode
• Red in Preamp mode
• Amber in Mixer mode
30 Mbox User Guide

Output Setup Surround Monitor Configuration
You can configure stereo and surround monitor- You can choose which Monitor output pairs are
ing and output settings in Output Setup. controlled by Mbox Pro’s Master Volume knob.
For example, if you enable Master Volume for all

Stereo Monitor Configuration
three Monitor output pairs, then the Master Vol-
You can assign up to three Monitor output pairs ume controls all of them at once. This is useful if
to function as control room monitor pairs. you are mixing in surround.
Pressing front-panel Speaker button cycles
through the control room output pairs. This is
useful for A/B-ing your mix between different
studio monitors.
Speaker button
Setup pop-up menu, Output Setup mode shown
Mbox Pro Speaker/source select button
The Output Setup options are grouped in the fol-
lowing categories:

Monitor Outputs (1–2, 3–4, 5–6) Master Vol.
This option lets you choose which output pairs

Name
are controlled by Mbox Pro’s Master Volume
You can name your stereo Monitor output pairs knob.
by clicking in the box. The name appears in the
Output Pair tabs in the Stereo Mix section. See If you enable this option for the all three Moni-
“Output Pairs” on page 36. tor output pairs, then the Master Volume knob
controls all of them at once.
Control Room Assignment
If an output pair is designated as a control
This drop-down menu assigns a Monitor output room speaker pair, this checkbox is auto-
pair (1–2, 3–4, 5–6) as a control room output. matically checked and cannot be un-
Choose between the following options: checked.
• None
Left Trim This knob trims the level of the Left
• Speakers A (Green LED) (odd numbered) output.
• Speakers B (Red LED)
Right Trim This knob trims the level of the Right
• Speakers C (Amber LED) (even numbered) output.
Let’s say that outputs 1–2 are set up to be Speak-
ers A, outputs 3–4 are set up to be Speakers B, S/PDIF Outputs L/R
and outputs 5–6 are set up to be Speakers C. These outputs are not assignable as control
Pressing Mbox Pro’s Speaker button lets you room outputs. You can assign a name to your
switch between the three pairs of speakers. stereo output pairs. The name appears in the
(Only one control room output pair is active at Output Pair tabs in the Stereo Mix section.
any time in Stereo mode.)
Headphone Outputs A and B

These outputs are not assignable as control
room outputs. You can assign a name to your
stereo output pairs. The name appears in the
Output Pair tabs in the Stereo Mix section.
32 Mbox User Guide

Flow About
Clicking the Flow button opens a display show- The About pop-up menu lets you view the firm-
ing the signal flow from the inputs to the out- ware version of the Mbox Pro hardware, and the
puts of Mbox Pro. This is a useful reference for package version of the Mbox Pro driver installer.
understanding the path of an audio signal flow-
ing through Mbox Pro.
Web links
Firmware and driver information
Accessing the Web Links

Along the bottom-right of the Driver Control
Panel you can easily access helpful online re-
sources on our Avid website (www.avid.com) by
clicking on the following pop-up menus:
• Manual
• Updates
• Support
• FAQs
• Register
Clicking on any of the “Web links” will

open your web browser. Your computer must
have Internet access for these pages to load.

The stereo mix is set up like a standard mixing
Stereo Mix Section console. There are 16 input channels (eight
hardware inputs from Mbox Pro, and eight soft-
These 16-input, 2-output mixes allow you to cre-
ware returns from your recording application).
ate up to six stereo mixes when running at a
Each input channel has its own volume fader,
sample rate at or below 96 kHz, and up to two
pan and aux send knobs, solo, and mute but-
stereo mixes when running at a sample rate
tons, as well as a master output section with its
above 96 kHz.
own pair of faders and mute buttons.
This lets you set up near-zero latency cue mixes
A pair of channels can be linked together by
in which the performers hear a “customized”
clicking the link icon between the two channels.
mix while recording.
Linking channels lets you adjust mute, solo, and
It is important to note that any changes made to fader settings simultaneously by modifying pa-
the stereo mix will only affect what is audible rameters on either one of the linked channels.
from the mixer’s outputs—the stereo mix does However, linking two channels will not have
not affect the signals that are sent to your re- any effect on their Pan controls, which are al-
cording application. For example, if you are re- ways made on a per-channel basis.
cording a vocalist and he/she tells you to turn
The stereo mix features multi-segment meters to
up the vocal track so they can hear themselves
show input channel levels (directly above each
better, you can increase the vocalist’s micro-
channel) and main mixer output levels (at the
phone channel in the stereo mix. This will make
top right of the mixer). The pre/post fader me-
the vocal part louder in the vocalist’s head-
tering operation can be set from the Setup Tab
phones, but it will still be recorded into
of the Control Panel. The clip indicators can be
Pro Tools at the volume determined by the front
set to “stick” by choosing Hold Clipping Indicators
panel Gain Adjustment Knob.
until Clicked in the Setup pop-up menu, and reset
by clicking on the clip indicator itself.
The stereo mix section is located in the main

view of the Control Panel and is divided into
five main sections:
• Hardware Inputs
• Software Returns
• Output Pairs
• Master
• Effects
34 Mbox User Guide

Hardware Inputs Software Returns Master
Output
pairs
Signal Meter
Pan
Solo
Mute
Channel
Fader
Channel Label
Channel Link
Effects
Stereo Mix Section
Hardware Inputs Software Returns

The Hardware Inputs section is where the The Software Returns section is where the audio
Mic/Line, Instrument, and S/PDIF inputs of coming back from Pro Tools (or other audio ap-
Mbox Pro are monitored. Hardware Inputs 1–6 plication) is monitored.
are the analog inputs, and Hardware Inputs 7–8
are the S/PDIF inputs. Software Returns 1 and 2 are the default ste-
reo output from Pro Tools.

Output Pairs Stereo Mixes
For each Mbox Pro Monitor output pair (Moni- A stereo mix lets you set up a custom stereo mix,
tor outputs 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, S/PDIF Left and Right, setting the desired level for each hardware input
or Headphones A and B), there is a representa- and software return that is fed to the hardware
tive tab in the output pair select view. The output output pair. See the Stereo Mix section below for
pair select view lets you choose the audio source details.
for each Monitor output pair, and where appli-
cable, edit the audio source. Direct Routes
A direct route means that the chosen signal is
passed directly to the hardware output pair. For
example, if the source for output pair 1–2 were
“Hardware Inputs 1–2,” then the signal coming
into hardware inputs 1–2 of the Mbox Pro
would be fed directly to hardware outputs 1–2.
Tabs representing each Mbox Pro hardware output pair,
Similarly, if the source were “Software Returns
output pair select view shown
1–2,” the signal fed from an audio host software
Each output pair select tab includes a drop- returns 1–2 would be fed directly to hardware
down menu where you can select the audio outputs 1–2.
source you want. The sources include:
• Stereo Mix 1 Notes:
• Stereo Mix 2 • The source of the currently selected tab is
• Stereo Mix 3 (Available only at sample rates displayed below the output pair select view.
at or below 96 kHz) See “Output Setup” on page 31.
• Stereo Mix 4 (Available only at sample rates • For Stereo Mix sources, a traditional mixer
at or below 96 kHz) view is displayed.
• Stereo Mix 5 (Available only at sample rates • For direct route sources, a view with meters
at or below 96 kHz) is displayed, and the input source and out-
• Stereo Mix 6 (Available only at sample rates put destination are highlighted.
at or below 96 kHz) • You can drag and drop the tabs to reorder
• Software Returns 1–2 them if you want.
• Software Returns 3–4

Notes on output pairs that are designated as
• Software Returns 5–6 control room outputs:
• Software Returns 7–8
• If an output pair is a designated control
• Hardware Inputs 1–2 room output (see “Control Room Assign-
• Hardware Inputs 3–4 ment” on page 32), a speaker icon will ap-
• Hardware Inputs 5–6 pear in the upper right corner of the tab.
• Hardware Inputs 7–8 Click the speaker icon, or double click the
tab, to make the associated output pair the
The available output pair audio sources can be active control room speaker pair.
divided into two categories:
36 Mbox User Guide

• Control room output pairs must have ste- Clicking on a Channel Label gives you a cursor,
reo mixes as their source. This is enforced allowing you to type in your own custom chan-
automatically by the software. nel name (such as “guitar,” “vocals,” etc.).
• In most cases, you will want to use the
The Channel Labels also display the signal level
same stereo mixer (for example, Stereo
(in dB) while a fader is being adjusted.
Mix 1) for all designated control room out-
put pairs. This is not enforced by the soft-
ware, because there are cases in which Link
varying sources for control room output The Link buttons connect stereo pairs of knobs
pairs would be desirable. or faders (and also links the corresponding FX
Send knobs), so that adjusting either channel
Pan (left/right) adjusts the other side identically.
The Pan knobs control the position of a chan- Links buttons
nel’s audio signal in the stereo image of the ste-

reo mix (double-click the knob to return pan to
center).
Solo
Pan controls are unaffected by linking two
Each Solo button lets audio be monitored for the
channels.
channel of which it is a part, while simultane-
ously muting all other Hardware Input channels
Hardware Input FX Sends
and Software Returns (except for those that also
have their Solo buttons activated). FX Sends are shared by all Stereo Mixes, unless
“Post-Fader Stereo Mix 1” is chosen in the Setup
Mute pop-up menu.
The Mute buttons are used to individually turn

Software Return FX Sends
off audio monitoring for each channel in the
stereo mix. FX Sends are shared by all Stereo Mixes, unless
“Post-Fader Stereo Mix 1” is chosen in the Setup
Channel Faders pop-up menu.
The Channel Faders control the monitoring vol-

ume level of each channel in the stereo mix.
Channel Labels
By default, the Channel Labels show the input
name of each channel (1–8), except for the Mas-
ter fader pair (which is labeled L/R by default).

FX Returns Master
These knobs control how much of the Effect au- The Master section lets you control the main
dio output will be mixed in with the monitor mixer output. This output can be routed to any
signal Master L/R outputs. Unlike sends, hardware output. Each Stereo Mix includes a
FX Returns are individually adjustable for each master section with several controls:
stereo mix.
Master fader Stereo Mix Copy
pull-down
Master section Balance knob
Width knob
Mute button (L) Mute button (R)

FX Returns section
Swap button
Channel Fader
FX Returns (below Master section)
The Clip LED will show clipping if the input to

the FX is clipping and if the output is clipping
(the rest of the meter is just output).
Link button Mono button

Effect FX Returns
section
The Effect drop-down menu is used to select the
Master section of the Driver Control Panel
effect to be applied to the Hardware Inputs
and/or Software Returns (effects are not avail- Master Fader Adjusts the overall level of the ste-
able if the sample rate is > 96 kHz). There are five reo mix.
available reverb types: Three room reverbs and
two hall reverbs, delay, and echo. These effects Balance Knob Adjusts the left/right balance of
can be customized by using the following three the stereo mix (double-click the knob to return
controls: it to center).
Duration This knob controls decay time (for the Width Knob Adjusts the width of the stereo im-
reverbs) or delay time (for delay and echo). age, where fully counter-clockwise is mono, and
fully clockwise is full stereo (double-click the
Feedback This knob controls the number of re- knob to return it to center).
peats for the delay and echo effects. It does not
affect the reverbs. Mute Buttons Mutes the left and/or right side of
the stereo mix.
Volume This knob controls the effects output
level being sent to the FX Returns
38 Mbox User Guide

Swap Button Swaps the stereo image, making the Status Indicators
left channel play out the Right output, and the
right channel play out the Left output. Along the bottom-left of the Driver Control
Panel are the following status indicators:
Link Button Links the FX Returns section and the
mute buttons. Hardware Connected
Master Meters Lets you have a visual representa- This tells you the status of the hardware; if a
tion of the audio signal being fed to the associ- properly installed, powered-on Mbox Pro is con-
ated hardware output pair. nected to the computer.
Stereo Mix Copy Lets you copy the settings of the

current stereo mix to one of the other stereo
mixes.
Mono Button The Mono button is available only

under the following circumstances: Status indicators
• At least one output pair is assigned as a con-
trol room output pair. Streaming
• The currently displayed stereo mix is the This indicates if audio from a Digital Audio
stereo mix used by the current control Workstation or a media player (such as Pro Tools
room output pair. or Windows Media Player) is currently stream-
ing audio to the Mbox Pro.
Host Control Enabled

If an application such as Pro Tools has control
over the Driver Control Panel, then “Host Con-
trol Enabled” displays.

Presets Layouts
The Preset view lets you load and save Mbox Pro The Layout drop-down menu lets you choose
Settings files. This is useful if you'd like to save what information you would like the Driver
various configurations of the Control Panel so Control Panel to show, and how you would like
that you do not have to manually reconfigure that information to be displayed. There are four
your system each time you work on a different layouts to select from:
type of project.
For example, you could save the following pre- Horizontal

sets:
The Horizontal layout is the default layout. It
• A preset for live tracking, in stereo (low-la- shows all knobs, faders, meters and buttons in a
tency/direct monitoring, and/or for dis- layout similar to that of a mixing console. The
crete headphone mixes). Horizontal layout is used for all the screen cap-
• A preset for mixing in stereo (alternate tures in this chapter.
speakers, etc.).
• A preset for working in multi-channel/sur-
Horizontal (Meters Only)
round.
The Meters Only layout emphasizes pre-fader
hardware input and software return metering,
Load Button but does not provide access to the stereo mixers.
The Load Button opens a file browser that lets
you load a previously saved Settings file.
Save as...
The Save as button opens a file browser that lets
you save the current settings of the Driver Con-
trol Panel to a Settings file. Mbox Pro Driver Control Panel, Horizontal (Meters Only)
shown
40 Mbox User Guide

Vertical Vertical (Meters Only)
The Meters Only layout emphasizes pre-fader
hardware input and software return metering,
but does not provide access to the stereo mixers.
Mbox Pro Driver Control Panel, Vertical shown
The Vertical layout provides access to all con-

trols and meters in a vertical window. The Verti- Mbox Pro Driver Control Panel, Vertical (Meters Only)
cal layout was designed for compact operation, shown
which is convenient if you want to run it along
with Pro Tools (uses far less screen real estate,
but provides full functionality).

42 Mbox User Guide
chapter 6
Using the Multi Button
The Multi button on the front panel of the

Mbox Pro can be assigned to easily execute sev- Using the Multi Button
eral functions in Pro Tools including (but not
In the Hardware Setup dialog, Pro Tools lets you
limited to):
set three Multi button parameters for your
• Add Track Mbox Pro using the “Multi Button Function”
• Start/Stop Record pane. (You can also launch the Driver Control
• Tap Tempo Panel from here).
• Locating to Next/Previous Marker
For more information on the Driver Control
• Save Session
Panel, see Appendix , “.”.
The Multi Button Function includes the follow-

ing options:
Press and Release Displays the options avail-

able for Press and Release mode.
Press and Hold Displays the options available

for Press and Hold mode.
Duration Gives four time duration options for

Press and Hold button.
Mbox Pro (Multi button shown)
Launch Control Panel Launches Driver Control
You can use the Multi button to do these and Panel.
other common tasks with a single button in-
stead of using on-screen menu commands. By
pressing the Multi button two different ways
(Press and Release, Press and Hold) you can per-
form two functions with one button.
Chapter 6: Using the Multi Button 43

To use the Multi Button Function pane and
configure its parameters (example): Press and Release Options
1 Launch Pro Tools. When you click on the Press and Release list, a
2 Choose Track > New and create 1 Mono audio
pop-up menu provides access to the following
track. options:
You need to have at least one track avail-

able in a session to use the Add Last Track
and Add Selected Track functions.
3 Choose Setup > Hardware.
4 From the Press and Release list, select

Start/Stop Record (the default).
5 From the Press and Hold list, select Add Se-

None No function is selected in this mode.
lected Tracks (the default).
Add Last Track Adds the last track type that you
6 From the Hold Duration list, select 500 msec
created in the session. Say you have created two
(the default).
Audio tracks in a session. It will add another
mono Audio track.
Add Selected Track Adds whatever tracks that

you have selected in a session. Say you have se-
lected two Audio tracks in a session. It will add
another two Audio tracks.
Cursor to Next Marker Each time the button is

Multi Button Function pane (Shown in Hardware Setup pressed and released, the transport will locate to
dialog)
the next marker location.
7 Go to the Edit Window and select the track
Cursor to Previous Marker Each time the button
you just created.
is pressed and released, the transport will locate
8 Press and hold the Multi button for 500 msec, to the previous marker location.
then release. A new track is added in Record En-
able mode. Start/Stop Playback Each time the button is
pressed and released, it starts/stops playing back
9 Press and immediately release the Multi but- : session.
the
ton. The track begins recording.
Start/Stop Record Each time the button is
This is just one example of how easy it is to use pressed and released, it starts/stops recording.
the Multi button if you want to quickly throw
down tracks and record. But you can personalize Loop Playback Toggle Each time the button is
the Multi button settings to fit any audio work- pressed and released, the Loop Playback mode is
flow that works for you. toggled between enabled and disabled.
44 Mbox User Guide

Undo Each time the button is pressed and re- Add Last Track Adds the last track type that you
leased, it undoes that last operation you per- created in the session. Say you have created two
formed in Pro Tools. (Same as the Undo com- Audio tracks in a session. It will add another
mand from the Pro Tools menu) mono Audio track.
Save Session Each time the Multi button is Add Selected Track Adds whatever tracks that
pressed and released, it saves the session. you have selected in a session. Say you have se-
lected two Audio tracks in a session. It will add
Tap Tempo The Multi button can be tapped to another two Audio tracks.
adjust the session tempo. Tapping tempo will
cause Pro Tools to come out of Conductor mode Cursor to Next Marker Each time the button is
and match its tempo to the tapped tempo. If held and released, the transport will locate to
Pro Tools is already in Manual Tempo mode, the the next marker location.
session will automatically adjust its tempo to
match the value created by the Tap Tempo func- Cursor to Previous Marker Each time the button
tion. is held and released, the transport will locate to
the previous marker location.
Start/Stop Playback Each time the button is

Press and Hold Options held and released, it starts/stops playing back
the session.
When you click on the Press and Hold list, a
pop-up menu provides access to the following Start/Stop Record Each time the button is held
options: and released, it starts/stops recording.
Loop Playback Toggle Each time the button is

held and released, the Loop Playback mode is
toggled between enabled and disabled.
Undo Each time the button is held and released,

it undoes that last operation you performed in
Pro Tools. (Same as the Undo command from
the Pro Tools menu)
Save Session Each time the Multi button is held

None No function is selected in this mode. and released, it saves the session.
Chapter 6: Using the Multi Button 45

Hold Duration Options
When you click on the Hold Duration list, a
drop-down menu provides access to the follow-
ing options:
Hold Duration There are four choices of Hold Du-

ration (250 msec, 500 msec, 750 msec, and 1 sec),
which is the amount of time you choose to hold
the Multi button down in Press and Hold mode.
The default is 500 msec.
46 Mbox User Guide

appendix a
Using CoreAudio- and ASIO-Compliant

Applications
The Mbox Pro hardware drivers allow you to use

CoreAudio (Mac) or ASIO (Windows) compliant Configuring the Apple Sound
applications with your Mbox Pro. Preferences
For driver installation instructions, see (Mac Only–Required for Using Qualified Pro
Chapter 3, “Installing and Connecting Tools Interface with Apple iTunes or QuickTime
Mbox Pro.” Player)
To use your Mbox Pro with certain CoreAudio-

compatible playback applications (such as Apple
Configuring Mbox Pro for iTunes or QuickTime Player), you will need to
Third-Party Applications configure either Sound Preferences or Audio
MIDI Setup.
When using Mbox Pro with an application
other than Pro Tools (such as Apple Garage-
To configure the Apple Sound Preferences:
Band), you may be able configure hardware set-
tings through the audio preference settings 1 Launch System Preferences (Apple menu >
available in that application. System Preferences)
2 Click Sound.
You can also configure your hardware using the
Control Panel. See “Using the Driver Control 3 Click Output and select your Pro Tools hard-
Panel” on page 25. ware as the device for sound output.
4 Click Input and select your Pro Tools hardware

as the device for sound input.
5 Quit System Preferences.
Appendix A: Using CoreAudio- and ASIO-Compliant Applications 47

appendix b
Compliance Information
Proposition 65 Warning
Environmental Compliance
This product contains chemicals, including
Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users lead, known to the State of California to
in the European Union cause cancer and birth defects or other re-
productive harm. Wash hands after han-
dling.
Perchlorate Notice
This product may contain a lithium coin battery. The State of
California requires the following disclosure statement:
“Perchlorate Material – special handling may apply, See
This symbol on the product or its packaging indicates that this www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.”
product must not be disposed of with other waste. Instead, it
is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment by
handing it over to a designated collection point for the recycling Recycling Notice
of waste electrical and electronic equipment. The separate
collection and recycling of your waste equipment at the time of
disposal will help conserve natural resources and ensure that
it is recycled in a manner that protects human health and the
environment. For more information about where you can drop
off your waste equipment for recycling, please contact your
local city recycling office or the dealer from whom you
purchased the product.
Appendix B: Compliance Information 49

Argentine Compliance
EMC (Electromagnetic
Compliance) PUBLICA
RE
Avid declares that this product complies with the following

standards regulating emissions and immunity:
• FCC Part 15 Class A TÜV
Rheinland AR
GENTINA
• EN 55022 Class A Argentina S. A.
• EN 55024 Class A
• AS/NZS CISPR 22 Class A
• CISPR 22 Class A
Australian Compliance
FCC Compliance for United States
Communication Statement N1709

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the Canadian Compliance
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in exigences du Règlement sur le material brouilleur du Canada.
which case the user will be required to correct the
interference at his own expense.
CE Compliance
Any modifications to the unit, unless expressly approved by
Avid, could void the user's authority to operate the (EMC and Safety)
equipment.
Avid is authorized to apply the CE (Conformité Europénne)

mark on this compliant equipment thereby declaring conformity
to EMC Directive 2004/108/EC and Low Voltage Directive
2006/95/EC.
Korean EMC Regulations
Japan VCCI Compliance

12) For products that are not rack-mountable: Use only with a
Safety Compliance cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specified by the
manufacturer, or sold with the equipment. When a cart is used,
use caution when moving the cart/equipment combination to
avoid injury from tip-over.
Safety Statement
This equipment has been tested to comply with USA and 13) Unplug this equipment during lightning storms or when
Canadian safety certification in accordance with the unused for long periods of time.
specifications of UL Standard UL 60950-1 2nd edition/
IEC 60950-1 2nd edition, and Canadian CAN/CSA C22.2 14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing
60950-1-07 2nd edition. Avid Technology, Inc., has been is required when the equipment has been damaged in any way,
authorized to apply the appropriate TUV & cTUV marks on its such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been
compliant equipment. spilled or objects have fallen into the equipment, the
equipment has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not
operate normally, or has been dropped.
Warning
15) For products that are a Mains powered device:
The equipment shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing
and no objects filled with liquids (such as vases) shall be
placed on the equipment.
Warning! To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not

expose this equipment to rain or moisture.
16) For products containing a lithium battery:

CAUTION! Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly
replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent type.
17) For products with a power switch:

Important Safety Instructions The main power switch is located on the front panel of the
1) Read these instructions. Mbox Pro. It should remain accessible after installation.
18) The equipment shall be used at a maximum ambient

2) Keep these instructions.
temperature of 40° C
3) Heed all warnings.
4) Follow all instructions.
5) Do not use this equipment near water.
6) Clean only with dry cloth.
7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance

with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat

registers, stoves, or other equipment (including amplifiers)
that produce heat.
9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or

grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one
wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and
a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are
provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into
your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the
obsolete outlet.
10) Protect power cords from being walked on or pinched

particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point
where they exit from the equipment.
11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the

manufacturer.
Appendix B: Compliance Information 51

‫)‪Important Safety Instructions (Hebrew‬‬
‫‪ (9‬אין לעשות דבר שעלול להפריע לתכלית הבטיחותית של תקע מקוטב או‬
‫תקע עם הארקה‪ .‬תקע מקוטב מצויד בשני להבים‪ ,‬שאחד מהם רחב יותר‪.‬‬ ‫תאימות לתקני הבטיחות‬
‫תקע עם הארקה מצויד בשני להבים ובנוסף בפין הארקה‪ .‬הלהב הרחב או פין‬
‫ההארקה נועדו לשמור על בטיחות המשתמש‪ .‬אם התקע שסופק לא מתאים‬ ‫אזהרה‬
‫לשקע החשמל‪ ,‬יש להתייעץ עם חשמלאי לצורך החלפתו בתקע מתאים‪.‬‬
‫‪ (10‬יש להגן על כבלי החשמל כדי למנוע קיפול או דריכה עליהם‪ ,‬וזאת‬
‫במיוחד בסמוך לתקעים‪ ,‬למפצלי שקעים ובנקודות היציאה של כבלי החשמל‬
‫מהמכשירים‪.‬‬
‫‪ (11‬יש להשתמש אך ורק באבזרים אשר אושרו על‪-‬ידי היצרן‪.‬‬

‫‪ (12‬כאשר מדובר במוצרים שלא ניתן להתקינם בארון ציוד‪ :‬יש להשתמש‬
‫בעגלות‪ ,‬מעמדים‪ ,‬חצובות מדפים או שולחנות המאושרים על‪-‬ידי היצרן או‬
‫הנמכרים עם פריט הציוד הרלוונטי‪ .‬כאשר מניחים את המכשיר על עגלה‪ ,‬יש‬
‫לנקוט זהירות בעת הזזתה‪ ,‬כדי למנוע נפילה העלולה לגרום לפציעה‪.‬‬
‫הוראות בטיחות חשובות‬
‫‪ (13‬יש לנתק את המכשיר משקע החשמל בזמן סערות ברקים או כאשר הוא‬
‫לא בשימוש במשך תקופה ארוכה‪.‬‬ ‫‪ (1‬יש לקרוא את ההוראות‪.‬‬
‫‪ (14‬בכל טיפול במכשיר יש לפנות לאנשי שירות מוסמכים‪ .‬טיפול נדרש כאשר‬ ‫‪ (2‬יש לשמור את ההוראות במקום בטוח‪.‬‬
‫המכשיר ניזוק בצורה כלשהי‪ ,‬לדוגמה במקרים הבאים‪ :‬נזק לכבל או לתקע‬
‫חשמל; שפיכת נוזלים או נפילת חפצים לתוך המכשיר; חשיפת המכשיר לגשם‬ ‫‪ (3‬יש לשים לב לכל האזהרות‪.‬‬
‫או ללחות; ליקוי בפעולתו הרגילה של המכשיר; נפילת המכשיר‪.‬‬
‫‪ (4‬יש לפעול בהתאם להוראות‪.‬‬
‫‪ (15‬כאשר מדובר במוצרים המחוברים לרשת החשמל‪:‬‬
‫יש למנוע את חשיפת המכשיר לטפטוף או התזה של נוזלים‪ .‬כמו כן‪ ,‬אין להניח‬ ‫‪ (5‬אין להשתמש במכשיר זה ליד מים‪.‬‬
‫על המכשיר חפצים המכילים נוזלים )כגון אגרטלים(‪.‬‬
‫‪ (6‬יש לנקות את המכשיר רק באמצעות מטלית יבשה‪.‬‬
‫אזהרה! כדי לצמצם סכנה של אש או מכת חשמל‪ ,‬אין לחשוף את המכשיר‬
‫לגשם או לחות‪.‬‬ ‫‪ (7‬אין לחסום שום פתח אוורור‪ .‬יש לבצע את ההתקנה בהתאם להוראות‬
‫היצרן‪.‬‬
‫‪ (16‬כאשר המוצר מכיל סוללת ליתיום‪:‬‬
‫זהירות! קיימת סכנת התפוצצות אם החלפת הסוללה לא מתבצעת בצורה‬ ‫‪ (8‬אין להתקין את המכשיר ליד מקורות חום כגון מקרנים‪ ,‬פתחי אוורור של‬
‫נכונה‪ .‬יש להחליף את הסוללה רק בסוללה זהה או שוות ערך‪.‬‬ ‫מערכות הסקה מרכזיות‪ ,‬תנורים או פריטי ציוד אחרים )לרבות מגברים(‬
‫המפיקים חום‪.‬‬
‫‪ (17‬כאשר המוצר מצויד במתג הפעלה‪:‬‬
‫מתג ההפעלה הראשי נמצא על הלוח הקדמי של ה‪ .HD MADI-‬יש להקפיד‬
‫שהגישה אליו חופשית גם לאחר התקנת המכשיר‪.‬‬
‫‪ (18‬אין להשתמש במכשיר כאשר טמפרטורת הסביבה עולה על ‪.40° C‬‬
‫‪52‬‬ ‫‪Mbox Pro User Guide‬‬

index
A Hardware Settings 27
Aux inputs headphones
connecting 15 assigning sources for headphones 34
jacks 9 configuring in the Driver Control Panel 32
connecting 13
Headphone outputs 7
B
High-pass filter 28
buffer size 28
I
C
Indicators
Clock source 27
LED ladders 6
compatibility 3 Power Indicator LED 7
connecting Mbox Pro 11 Inserts
connecting 21
D jacks 8
DI Input installing hardware drivers 11
connecting instruments 19
Mic/DI combo jacks 6 L
digital I/O Line inputs
connecting 21 connecting keyboards or mixers 20
S/PDIF Connector 9 jacks 8
Driver Control Panel 25
M
F Master Volume knob 7
features 1 Mic Inputs
connecting a mic 18
G Mic/DI combo inputs 6
Gain MIDI
adjusting gain for mics 17 making connections 23
gain ports 9
adjusting gain for instruments 19 Monitor outputs
Gain knob 6 assigning in Driver Control Panel 36
configuring outputs in the Driver Control Panel
H 32
connecting 14
hardware drivers
jacks 8
installing 11
using the Driver Control Panel 25
Index 53
Multi button
description 7
using 43
P
phantom power
48V Switch and LED 6
when to use 6, 16
Power input jack 9
Power Switch 9
S
S/PDIF
connecting 21
connector 9
using 22
sample rate 27
system requirements 3
V
volume
Headphone A and B Volume knobs 7
Master Volume knob 7
W
Word clock
connector 9
overview 23
using with Pro Tools 23

Avid Technical Support (USA) Product Information
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Visit the Online Support Center at For company and product information,
Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA www.avid.com/support visit us on the web at www.avid.com

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Mbox Pro User Guide

Product features, specifications, system requirements, and

Guide Part Number 9329-65070-00 REV B 05/11

Chapter 1. Welcome to Mbox Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2. Mbox Pro Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Chapter 3. Installing and Connecting Mbox Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 4. Making Studio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chapter 5. Using the Driver Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 6. Using the Multi Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Appendix A. Using CoreAudio- and ASIO-Compliant Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Appendix B. Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

iv Mbox Pro User Guide

Welcome to Mbox Pro

Welcome to the Mbox® Pro FireWire audio and

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox Pro 1

2 Mbox Pro User Guide

Cross References point to related sections in

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox Pro 3

Product Registration Register your purchase

Support and Downloads Contact Avid Customer

Training and Education Study on your own using

Products and Developers Learn about Avid

News and Events Get the latest news from Avid

4 Mbox Pro User Guide

Mbox Pro Hardware Overview

Mbox Pro Front Panel Features

Headphones A and B Volume knob

Soft Master Volume

Figure 1. Mbox Pro front panel

Chapter 2: Mbox Pro Hardware Overview 5

6 Mbox Pro User Guide

 When pushed, Line outputs 1 and 2 (or the

Chapter 2: Mbox Pro Hardware Overview 7

Aux inputs 5/6

Foot switch FireWire ports

Word clock, MIDI

Figure 2. Mbox Pro back panel

Mic Inputs Monitor Outputs

8 Mbox Pro User Guide

Aux Inputs 5–6

Chapter 2: Mbox Pro Hardware Overview 9

Installing and Connecting Mbox Pro

5 When installation is complete, restart your

For Pro Tools installation instructions, see

Chapter 3: Installing and Connecting Mbox Pro 11

Making Studio Connections

This chapter provides step-by-step instructions To connect headphones:

2 Adjust the volume using the corresponding

Chapter 4: Making Studio Connections 13

Monitor outputs 1–6 can be connected to any

14 Mbox Pro Setup Guide

Aux Inputs 5–6

If the 1/8-inch jack and the RCA jacks are both

When the switch is in the “out” position, the

Chapter 4: Making Studio Connections 15

The Mbox Pro can only supply phantom power

16 Mbox Pro Setup Guide

To use a microphone with an XLR connector:

Gain knob Master volume knob

puts will be active.) Push/Pull knob to engage the –20 dB pad.

3 If your microphone requires phantom power,

Chapter 4: Making Studio Connections 17